


Shelter

by queen_scribbles



Category: Pillars of Eternity
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-24
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2019-01-04 23:34:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12178662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queen_scribbles/pseuds/queen_scribbles
Summary: For Pillars weekly prompt #6; birthdays





	Shelter

**Author's Note:**

> For Pillars weekly prompt #6; birthdays

 

It was, at least, a _summer_ rain. That was the only charitable comment Emiri could give on the abrupt downpour as she and her companions ducked into a cave.

“Well, that came about real sudden-like, didn’t it?” If they hadn’t just been caught in the opening salvo of a deluge, she’d have sworn Edér sounded _cheerful_.

“You could say that,” Emiri said wryly, running her fingers through her dripping hair. Another flash of lightning brightened the sky and she shirked toward the back of the cave, joining Aloth further away from the storm.

“Here.” He handed her a blanket. “It’s the best we have for drying off. You look like you need it.”

“Thank you.” She shuffled to the side as Kana and Edér settled in nearby and reached up to tap the faintly glowing growth that encircled her head. “This does make hoods a challenge.” Emiri sighed as she squeezed water from her hair and looked toward the cave opening, the curtain of rain visible past Hiravias and Sagani’s silhouettes. “And today was shaping up to be a pretty decent birthday ‘til now...”

Aloth looked at her in surprise. “Today’s your...?”

“Well, not officially,” Emiri conceded, drying her hair as best she could with the blanket. “But since I don’t remember when my birthday really is, just that it was summer, this is the day I usually count.” Thunder cracked and she flinched. _Ondra’s Teeth, that was close by..._ “Might move it this year...”

Aloth chuckled. “Being able to move your birthday, there’s a silver lining for you.”

She laughed as she set aside the blanket, skin and hair as dry as they were going to get. “True.” After a moment’s silence, she gave in to her curiosity.  “When’s yours?”

Surprise flickered briefly across his face, visible even in the faint light of her halo, and it took him a moment to answer. “Next week.”

“ _Next week_? And you weren’t going to say anything?!” Emiri shrugged off her soaking cloak so she could better adopt  a reproachful stance.

Aloth raised an eyebrow. “Says the woman who didn’t mention until moments ago that today is _hers_.”

“Yeah, well, I did most of my growing up as a slave on a pirate ship. I’m used to people not car- _Oh_.” She stared at him in the flare of another lightning strike.  “ _Aloth_.”

He shifted uneasily, picking at a hangnail and looking out at the downpour as if wishing it would stop so he could bolt. “It’s not that important, Emiri.”

“To me it is,” she contradicted. “I know what that feels like, Aloth.” She hesitated, tugging at a loose thread on her shirt. “Would you mind, since today is proving unsuitable-” she glared at the pouring rain- “if I said my birthday was next week this year? Not the same day as yours,” she added hastily, “just closer to it, since we both _do_ have someone who cares this year. We can celebrate together.”

“I-” Aloth hesitated, then nodded, tucking his hair behind his ears. “I would like that, I think. Depending on what you mean by _celebrate_.”

“Nothing fancy,” Emiri promised. “Neither of us _like_ big fancy social situations. Maybe I convince the cook to make us each our own batch of those dark chocolate Rauatai cookies.” She heard Kana muffle a laugh and whipped around to mock-glare at him--”There’s nothing wrong with a little bit of a sweet tooth!”--before turning back to Aloth. “ _Anyway_. Cookies. And we’ll take the day off from adventuring. To do things we enjoy. One day won’t hurt that much.”

“That sounds like a good plan,” Aloth agreed, small smile tugging at his lips.  “Next week, then.”

“Next week,” Emiri nodded, and they settled in to wait for the storm to pass, safe in the shelter of the cave.

>O<

Emiri’s plan was easy enough to enact, except for one thing. The Dyrwood sky stayed a threatening shade of grey even after the initial storm had passed. And, sure enough, the day she and Aloth had decided to celebrate was pouring down rain. Again.

At least this time they were safely ensconced in the shelter Caed Nua offered. The rain wasn’t so bad when you were watching it through a window with a roof over your head.

“Someone is determined for you to have a dreary birthday,” Aloth commented wryly as they sat in the library, several books spread open across the table. The black cat from Raedric’s dungeon strolled between the tomes, occasionally making a show of stretching over whichever one Aloth was trying to read.

“Well, then I’m sorry for dragging you down with me,” Emiri said, reaching over to pick up the cat. “Fluffy, stop it.”

“I still can hardly believe you named it that.”

“I didn’t name her,” Emiri protested good-naturedly. “That’s Edér ’s doing. I think he meant it as a joke, but it’s stuck.” She scratched the cat behind the ears, earning a loud, happy purr. “She seems to like it.”

“Mm. Emiri... may I ask you something?” Aloth fiddled with one of his rings, looking unsure of himself as he spun the silver band.

“Sure,” she nodded, perching sideways in her chair, legs hanging over the arm, so Fluffy could curl up in her lap.

“Why the diligence marking your birthday? I’d think the reminder you’d spent another year someone’s slave would be... disheartening.”

Emiri was quiet for a long moment forming her answer, long enough Aloth’s ears started to shade pink and she could almost _see_ him regretting the question. “For some--most even--it probably would. I never knew of anyone else who kept track. For me...” She sighed. It was difficult to explain. “It was a way of proving to myself I’d survived another year. And there was something about it, made me feel safe. Protected isn’t quite the right word--stronger, maybe--but the whips and yelling and the names they called us never seemed as bad that one day out of the year. Like I was sheltered from the worst of it, I guess. It was a small victory to look forward to. I know that probably sounds weird, but it kept me going.”

Aloth shook his head “Oh, no, it makes perfect sense to me.”

Emiri thought back to Brackenbury’s basement and grimaced. “I s’ppose it would... but that’s a dark line of conversation for a day that supposed to be us celebrating, so I’m changing the subject.”

He shot her a bemused smile. “To what?”

She shifted in her chair, almost dislodging Fluffy, so she could dig in her pocket. “I made you something.”

Aloth blinked at her in surprise. “You didn’t have to do that.”

Emiri shrugged. “I know. I wanted to. It’s part birthday present, part thank you for everything; having my back, teaching me to read, all that.”

“Oh. That was no trouble.” He smiled. “You’re a quick learner.”

Her cheeks warmed and she felt more than saw her halo pulse brightly with embarrassment. “Thank you.” Her fingers curled around the item she sought and she pulled it out to hand to the wizard. “And happy birthday,”

Aloth rose halfway from his chair to reach her outstretched hand. “Thank _you_.” He gently worked open the small pouch and pulled out an intricately woven blue band, half an inch wide and decorated in the middle with several flat black beads. “You _made_ this? That’s rather impressive.”

Emiri shrugged. “It’s just tying a whole bunch of really small knots, Aloth. I grew up on a ship; I’m good with knots.”

He ran his thumb over the woven pattern. “I feel like that may be oversimplifying things a bit. It’s beautiful, thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she smiled. “I made it long enough you can use it to mark your place in a book or grimoire _or_ tie it around your wrist.” Her smile turned sheepish. “You’ll probably have to wrap it twice if you wanted to do that. I may have forgotten until halfway through about the size difference between aumaua and elves. Probably didn’t help that I made a test one for myself first to work out the pattern.” She pushed up her sleeve so he could see the one she wore; adra-green with silver beads, the pattern a good bit rougher but basically the same. “Just to make sure I had it down.”

“I appreciate that,” Aloth said, smiling. “And the gift in general. I’ll put it to good use. Now...” he dug under a stack of books he’d had piled on the table when she entered the library. “I actually have something for you as well.”

Emiri sat up properly in her chair, causing Fluffy to hop down and stroll away. “Aloth, you didn’t-”

“I know.” He smirked slightly as he echoed her earlier words. “I wanted to.”

“Well, in that case, thank you,” she laughed as she accepted his gift.

“You’re welcome.” Aloth fiddled anxiously with his sleeve as she untied the ribbon and pulled back the wrapping. “You are... the first true friend I’ve had in a very long time. I don’t think I can ever adequately express what that means to me, but I did want to show my gratitude.”

“You’re gonna make me cry,” Emiri said frankly, then promptly gaped when she saw the present. “Aloth, it’s _beautiful._ ” The book’s cover was a rich, dark brown leather, embossed with a flowing pattern around the edges. It took her a minute to work her way through the title and determine this was a collection of equal parts legend and history for the Dyrwood. “Thank you!”

Blushing slightly, Aloth shrugged. “I figured if you’re going to be ruling over and protecting a section of this region, best you know the people’s history and beliefs, yes?”

She hesitated, biting her lip as she stroked the cover. “D’you really think I can handle this? On my own, I mean...” It was an intimidatingly thick book, reflecting the rich and diverse culture present in the Dyrwood.

“Oh, yes, certainly,” Aloth nodded, smiling and tucking his hair back behind one ear. “As I said, you’re a quick learner. I have faith in you. But, if you get stuck, you know I’m always here to help.”

“And I appreciate that.” Emiri rose and hugged him. “Thank you, truly. Both for the present and your friendship. Both mean a lot to me.” She glanced out the window as she let go. “Oh, hey, it’s not raining so hard. I vote we dash over to Brighthollow an’ see if those cookies are ready.”

“Seconded,” Aloth said with a small laugh, deftly looping her gift twice around his wrist and tying it off faster than she’d ever seen kith or folk do _anything_ one-handed.

She raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment on it as she clutched his present close and the two of them hurried out of the library, hoping this gap in the weather would last at least long enough for them to reach Brighthollow’s shelter.

>O<

As she’d hoped, the cookies were done. They had, in fact, been cooling just long enough to still be warm was Emiri and Aloth divvied up their shares. Grinning like a little girl, Emiri took her leave of Aloth and retreated to her bedroom with the bundle of cookies. Having sweets in any quantity _to herself_ was still something of a novelty to the Watcher, and she couldn’t help but giggle as the door closed behind her. She was going to spend the rest of the day curled up in bed, nibbling her way through the still-warm cookies as she read her new book. _Best. Birthday. Ever._

That was the _plan_ , anyway. But she was distracted by the neatly wrapped bundle sitting on her bed, tied up with a wide red ribbon and currently being used as a pillow by a very content hound dog.

“Lottie, are you keepin’ that safe for me, girl?” Emiri cooed as she dropped the book on her desk and sat on the bed to unwrap the large bundle. Lottie whined at the loss of her pillow and rolled over to sprawl across the actual pillows. Emiri smiled and shook her head at the dog before returning her attention to the gift. The wrapping fell away easily to reveal a beautiful blue cloak. It had obviously been worn before, but was well-cared for and clean. Best of all, when she unfurled it, _it was the proper size_. Aumaua were uncommon enough in the Dyrwood, she and Kana both had trouble finding clothes and  gear that fit comfortably. And when they did, it usually cost an arm and leg.

And then, upon closer examination, she noticed the hood. Someone--she was pretty sure she knew who--had deftly sliced it open down the middle and added an extra panel of matching fabric. Grinning ear to ear Emiri tested it out, and sure enough, the extra fabric gave plenty of room for her to pull the hood up over her halo, sheltering her as was normal for a cloak. A small piece of parchment fluttered from the cloak’s folds as she pulled it on, and Emiri paused to read the short message.

_I hope this serves you even better than it did me. Happy birthday, Emiri._

Even if she hadn’t recognize the handwriting, it was written on the back of a discarded page from a chanter’s hymnbook, making her list of suspected givers exactly one name long.

Emiri pushed herself to her feet, barely remembering to grab the sack of cookies so Lottie wouldn’t eat them, and practically flew from the room. “Kana!”

The distance from her room to his wasn’t great, and she barely paused long enough to knock and receive a bemused _Come in_ before all but tumbling into the room. She regained her balance and hugged Kana with enough force he almost lost his.

He laughed as he returned the hug, gently pulling back the hood so he could see her face. “I take it you approve, then?”

“Effigy’s eyes, _yes_!” Emiri squeezed tighter for a moment, then let go to shoot him a concerned look. “Does this mean _you_ don’t have a cloak now?”

“Oh, no, I’ve a couple more,” Kana assured her. “This one was simply in the best condition, and thus best suited to be given as a gift, that’s all.”

She stood grinning for another few heartbeats before remembering the sack she clutched in one hand. She shook it open and held it out to him. “Cookie?”

“I thought those were just for you and Aloth.”

Emiri pursed her lips, then grinned again. “I won’t tell if you won’t.”

Kana chuckled. “Well, in that case, I suppose one wouldn’t hurt...”

By the time she returned to her room, the sack of cookies was lighter by three, but Emiri didn’t care in the slightest. She did a little twirl after closing her door, watching the cloak flare out.  _Best birthday ever._

 

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, Emiri totally gave Aloth a friendship bracelet as a birthday present. I have zero regrets.


End file.
